


Focus

by DeCarabas



Series: Fugitives Together [30]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Gen, M/M, Possession
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 15:33:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16835464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeCarabas/pseuds/DeCarabas
Summary: Hawke's first lesson in spirit healing. For the prompt: "Learning something new."





	Focus

“Drawing the attention of a compassion spirit should be easy for you.” Anders’ eyes are fond, watching Hawke with unguarded affection. “A place like Kirkwall, you must stand out like a beacon. I’m surprised they’re not swarming you.”

Anders has taken down the lanterns for the duration of this lesson, locked the clinic door, and it’s as quiet and free from distractions as Darktown ever gets, aside from the distraction of the way Anders is looking at him. And Anders sinks down to sit beside Hawke, cross-legged on the floor of the clinic’s back room.

The first step of spirit healing seems simple enough, in theory: focus on compassion and don’t let your mind wander. 

“In the Circle, that much working with spirits always put the templars on edge,” Anders adds. “Even more than usual. As if it’s one step away from possession—you know, I’m really not the best person to be teaching this.”

“You’re doing fine, love,” Hawke says.

Healing with creation magic is one thing. For the most part, that’s just a matter of encouraging the body to do what it would have done anyway, only faster. But spirit healing is a kind of summoning, and Hawke’s lessons with his father had kept that topic to a minimum; when summonings go wrong, they tend to do so spectacularly.

But when Hawke closes his eyes and lets himself listen to the Fade, it’s quiet in the clinic in a way he’s never experienced anywhere else. Not _empty_ , but without the constant murmurs at the edge of his mind; quiet like his dreams on the nights when Anders, Justice, sleeps at the estate and the local demons decide to be elsewhere.

And despite Anders’ impression of him, Hawke doesn’t feel in danger of being swarmed by compassion spirits anytime soon. Because breathing in the peace of the clinic, of Anders’ presence, is pure selfish indulgence.

The air smells like the rot and damp of Darktown, but even so.

Spirit healers are one step away from possession, Anders had said, or at least that’s how the templars think of them. But would possession be such a bad thing if it was like this all the time, if it was a compassion spirit, if it was like Anders; like Justice had been in the Fade, without a moment’s doubt and without a chance of falling to temptation; if he never had to hear another demon trying to get in?

“Hawke?” He opens his eyes to find Anders watching him with a worried crease between his eyes. “You were—is something wrong?”

 _You make possession look like the solution_.“Nothing. Sorry.” _Focus on compassion and don’t let your mind wander._ “Let’s try again.”


End file.
